Unplug Tesla

Investors hit the brakes after the electric-car maker announced a larger-than-expected fourth-quarter loss.

Electric cars may be the way of the future, but in the near term Tesla Motors will likely be forced to navigate a rocky road.

Late Wednesday, Tesla Motors (ticker: TSLA) reported a fourth-quarter loss of $89.9 million, or 79 cents a share, up from a year-ago loss of 78 cents a share. Excluding one-time factors, the electric-car maker reported a per-share loss of 65 cents, compared with a loss of 69 cents a share a year earlier....